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We have this huge history in theatre here in the UK.
Of both the historic theatres themselves the playhouses, some are 100-200 years old.
Nearly all are listed for their actual architecture.
And it’s a huge industry.
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The Society of London Theatre is over 100 years old.
It was founded in 1908 by Sir Charles Wyndham, one of our most famous theatre owners.
In fact he built several theatres here in London which obviously still exist.
He founded the organization for the same reason that we still exist today
to bring the theatre community together.
To be able to argue its case.
To be able to lobby, and to be able to set rates of pay.
And, generally just to promote theatre in London.
You know we run a huge range of activities from running the TKTS booth that we have here
in London just like the one on Broadway.
We run the main website that promotes London theatre.
We run a press office for London theatre.
We produce major events, like the Olivier Awards but also many many other big events,
that all promote and market London theatre around the world.
We are sort of the guardians for future generations of those buildings and the history.
The biggest single thing about London theatre is the huge variety we have every year.
So if you want to go see a big blockbuster family musical there’s those.
If you want to see many many plays some which have star names in them.
A lot which don’t here in London.
But also family entertainment, many dance, opera, ballet.
There really is something for everybody.
"and the Olivier goes to ... Luke Treadaway”
The Olivier Awards are our premier awards ceremony that happens for theater here in
the UK.
We have it at the Royal Opera House.
Probably the most extraordinary theatre building we have here in London.
They will be 40 years old in 2016.
We’re very proud to have grown into a point where you know they mean an awful amount both
to the people that win them, um, but also the shows that participate.
We do this major open air public event at the same time as the Oliviers here
in Covent Garden. We take over the main square.
It’s called the Piazza in Covent Garden where the public can come and enjoy live performances
for a couple of hours before the Oliviers Awards themselves go live, and then we beam
the Oliviers on big screens to everyone watching.
The Oliviers itself is a major operation just like doing any of these major shows is.
The challenges are fitting a lot of content into trying to keep a show under 3 hours long.
But you know we have roughly 500 people on stage that night performing.
We have you know very major A-list stars from around the world who come and present awards
to winners.
And logistically its probably the biggest challenge, is running that all logistically.
London and the UK is very lucky in that we have had public subsidy we’ve had money
from the government in the arts for a very very long time.
Not just in London but around the whole of the UK and I think the training opportunity
that that has offered to generations of people encourages innovation.
Its encouraged new playwriting.
It encouraged new forms of theatre.
And, and you know the commercial sector working very much along side that not-for-profit sector
is one of the things that gives us strength here.
So you know you could have a show like Matilda in the UK here started in their home base
outside London, north of London in Stratford-Upon-Avon and then it was brought into London.
They brought it in themselves they produce it here in London but it was brought in with
the help of commercial theatre expertise.
To take that on and make that I think the phenomenon it became here and of course is
now on Broadway and around the world.
So its very much the commercial and the not-for-profit working together here is one
of the things uh you know we celebrate and is one of the things we have to ensure for
many many years to come continues to work.
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